Hidden Dragon Martial Hall

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Hidden Dragon Martial Hall
Alias(es)	藏龙武馆
Type	Martial hall
Location	Scarlet Cloud County
Affiliation	One of Scarlet Cloud County's Five Great Martial Halls 49
Occupation/Role	Trains martial artists and cultivates disciples through its outer and inner courts 2 4
Leadership	Qin Wuhe, Hall Master 3
Status	Gates closed following the Martial Examination, ostensibly because Qin Wuhe was ill; its earlier revival through Shi Hao's achievements was undermined by Shi Hao's death and public ridicule over Lu Chen's expulsion. 50 82 87 93 94
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background / History

Hidden Dragon Martial Hall was once a prominent force in Scarlet Cloud County. Its forebears produced renowned martial arts masters, and its signature arts—the Coiling Dragon Stance Art and Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist—were respected throughout the martial world. 3

Before the Lucky Plan, the hall suffered from a break in its succession. It failed to produce a Martial Scholar for several consecutive years, which weakened its reputation, reduced enrollment and tuition income, and left it with fewer resources to develop disciples. By this period, it had fallen among the lower-ranked of Scarlet Cloud County's five great martial halls. 3 49

Seeking to reverse this decline, Hall Master Qin Wuhe created the Lucky Plan. The hall recruited forty youths from mountain villages, waived their tuition, and provided three months of food, lodging, and martial instruction. Those who passed the subsequent assessment could remain as official disciples. 1 3

The plan produced Shi Hao, who entered the Coiling Dragon Stance Art in only three days. His later victories at the Gathering of Heroes greatly raised the hall's profile, drawing a surge of new applicants from both wealthy county families and nearby villages. 3 50

The hall subsequently accepted a deeper partnership proposal from the Huang Family, which offered monthly medicinal ingredients for disciple cultivation. The arrangement risked tying the future appointments of the hall's disciples closely to the Huang Family; Qin Wuhe nevertheless viewed its resources as vital to the hall's revival. 50 51 The resulting dispute over Lu Chen's refusal to leave Wang Firm led to his expulsion from the hall. 52

Early Signs of Revival

Qin Wuhe had inherited the hall from his own master and promised to restore it to the foremost ranks of Scarlet Cloud County's martial forces. His efforts were hindered by a cycle in which declining fame prevented the recruitment of promising disciples and discouraged patrons from supplying the resources needed to cultivate them. The Lucky Plan was both an opportunity for poor mountain youths and an attempt to preserve the institution. Qin initially hoped that three to five of the forty recruits would succeed. 3 50

Before the Gathering of Heroes, Chen Chong reported that more than ten newcomers had recently joined, contrasting this with earlier periods when the hall failed to recruit ten disciples in half a year. Shi Hao's subsequent victories over leading fighters from Thousand Crane Martial Hall and Mighty Far Hall greatly accelerated this recovery. 29 50

Expulsion of Lu Chen

Although Qin Wuhe understood that Wang Firm had treated Lu Chen well and that abandoning an established patron raised legitimate concerns under martial-world conventions, he prioritized the Huang Family's medicinal ingredients, silver, and Blood-Qi Powder. He concluded that retaining one disciple could not be allowed to jeopardize the hall's future. Chen Chong delivered the expulsion notice and apologized to Lu Chen, while promising that the Chen Family would continue supporting him. 51 52

The Huang Family subsequently circulated an account portraying Lu Chen as ungrateful and disobedient. Lu Chen acknowledged the hall's past kindness but accepted that his master-disciple relationship with it had ended. As his strength and position at Wang Firm became publicly known, county residents began questioning why the hall had discarded such a promising young martial artist. 52 61

Martial Examination and Reputational Reversal

Hidden Dragon Martial Hall placed its hopes for the Martial Examination on Shi Hao, its most highly anticipated younger disciple. He ranked among the top three in the examination's Strength Trial, but Li Huchen of Mighty Far Hall killed him with a single punch in the subsequent combat stage. Zhao Xuanfeng openly mocked the hall's supposed genius before Qin Wuhe. 82 87

Lu Chen later killed Li Huchen with a single punch and became the Martial Examination champion. The contrast between the dead favored disciple and the victorious expelled disciple became a major subject of public gossip. Townspeople ridiculed Qin Wuhe's judgment, while Hidden Dragon Martial Hall closed its gates and claimed that its master was ill. 93

The hall remained silent as Mighty Far Hall publicly claimed Lu Chen as a hidden true-transmission disciple. Observers contrasted Mighty Far Hall's rapid attempt to turn defeat into reputational advantage with Hidden Dragon Martial Hall's inability to respond to the scandal surrounding its own decisions. Lu Chen refused to personally acknowledge the claimed Mighty Far Hall lineage, although he did not publicly deny the rumor. 94

Organization

Division / Position	Function
Outer Court	Houses and trains servants, registered disciples, ordinary apprentices, and newly selected mountain youths. It contains the main Martial Practice Yard and is where recruits normally eat, live, and train. 2
Inner Court	Reserved for martial artists and geniuses favored by the Hall Master. Inner-court disciples receive personal instruction, private training rooms, and medicinal bath rooms. 2
True Disciples	Inheritors taught the martial hall's closely guarded arts rather than ordinary techniques; they are regarded as successors to the Hall Master's mantle. 4
Medicine Hall	Supplies martial medicines used to replenish depleted qi and blood and nourish injuries from training. 2
Martial Practice Yard	Primary training ground for stance practice, fist training, assessments, and public challenges. 1 19

Known Members

Member	Position	Notes
Qin Wuhe	Hall Master	Leads the hall and launched the Lucky Plan to restore its fortunes. After Shi Hao's death and Lu Chen's championship, the hall closed its gates, citing his illness. 3 50 93
Chen Chong	Inner-court disciple; instructor	Guided the Lucky Plan recruits and taught them the hall's layout and basic cultivation principles. Remained personally supportive of Lu Chen after delivering his expulsion notice. 1 2 52
Shi Hao	Deceased personal disciple; former leading examination candidate	A prodigy nurtured by Qin Wuhe; his Gathering of Heroes victories revived the hall's reputation. Ranked among the top three in the Martial Examination's Strength Trial before being killed by Li Huchen with one punch. 11 50 82 87 93
Song Tieshan	True disciple	Senior disciple who welcomed Lu Chen upon his promotion to the inner court. Had reached the major stage of Blood Moving but was already in his twenties and beyond the Martial Examination's age limit. 15 49
Liu Qingping	True disciple	Senior disciple who welcomed Lu Chen and gave him Jade Skin Paste. Had reached the major stage of Blood Moving but was already in his twenties and beyond the Martial Examination's age limit. 15 49
Lu Chen	Former inner-court disciple	Promoted after reaching the Blood-Moving Realm and minor mastery in Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist; later expelled over his refusal to transfer from Wang Firm to the Huang Family. Subsequently became the Martial Examination champion, provoking public criticism of the hall's decision. 15 52 93
Ma Sanjin	Lucky Plan recruit; fist-art trainee	Learned Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist from Qin Wuhe after mastering the stance-art basics and received a monthly medicinal-soup allowance alongside Lu Chen. 7
Lu Yuan	Lucky Plan recruit	One of the two youths selected from Lu Family Village, alongside Lu Chen. 3

Training and Martial Arts

Coiling Dragon Stance Art

The hall's foundational stance art nourishes vitality and blood, tempers sinews and bones, and supports later fist techniques. Its movements coordinate the feet, waist, hips, spine, arms, and breath into a coiling posture. 1

• Forms the basis of the Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist. 1 7
• Used to move and refine qi and blood. 4 18
• Considered essential rather than merely ornamental; without proper stance support, powerful fist techniques lack a stable foundation. 24
• Its perfected state can produce the martial trait Coiling Dragon Body · Dragon-Sighting Force Release, which disperses incoming force through spiraling body mechanics. 41
• In Lu Chen's perfected application, incoming strikes automatically trigger a spiraling force that twists and disperses their impact rather than resisting them directly, substantially improving his ability to withstand stronger opponents. 41

Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist

The martial hall's signature fighting art, taught after a disciple gains the basics of the Coiling Dragon Stance Art. It emphasizes force traveling from the feet through the waist, back, shoulders, and arms before reaching the hand. 7

• Azure Dragon Probes the Sea — a long-arc chopping strike effective against the face, head, shoulders, neck, and close-range attacks. 7
• Dragon Tail Sweeps Horizontally — a sweeping arm strike driven by waist-and-hip rotation. 11
• Azure Dragon Shakes Its Scales — a short, vibrating release of force through the wrist. 11
• Dragon's Roar Pierces the Sun — a powerful offensive strike used by Lu Chen to defeat Liu Xiaolou and drive back Shen Shijun. 19 63
• At the Perfect realm, the art produces Azure Dragon Force, a fierce fist force capable of greatly increasing striking power. 41 63
• Its linked shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fist mechanics make it agile and changeable but difficult to master. Ordinary disciples may require months merely to enter the art and three to five years of training to reach Greater Mastery; perfection cannot be attained through time alone. 63

Later Applications by Lu Chen

After leaving the hall, Lu Chen continued using its foundational arts and developed further applications of Azure Dragon Force. These developments belonged to his independent cultivation rather than new techniques established within Hidden Dragon Martial Hall. 52 110 124 174

• Combined Azure Dragon Force with Thunderclap Force through the Heavenly Terrace Demon-Subduing Fist, increasing his instantaneous striking power. 110
• Learned to channel Azure Dragon Force through his saber as a continuous flow, producing a heavier and more imposing slash. 124
• Included Azure Dragon Force in Six Forces in Harmony, using Coldwater Force to help stabilize the combined powers when defeating Xiao Changhe at the Skyreach Sword Arena. 174

Recruitment and Resources

• The Lucky Plan waived the usual ten-tael tuition fee for selected mountain youths, a cost ordinarily difficult for poor families to afford. 1
• Lucky Plan recruits received food, lodging, and instruction for three months before an assessment determined whether they could remain. 1
• Exceptionally talented disciples could attract sponsorship from county merchants and families, receiving meat, medicinal salves, silver, or training decoctions. 1 6
• The hall provided Lu Chen and Ma Sanjin three bowls of Tiger-Bone Body-Strengthening Soup per month after they mastered the stance-art basics. 7
• Shi Hao received substantially greater support due to Qin Wuhe's favor, including daily Tiger-Bone Body-Strengthening Soup and unlimited fine meat supplied by the Han Family. 6 7 10
• Disciples could purchase additional medicinal soup from the Medicine Hall; Lu Chen exchanged three taels of silver for thirty bowls of Tiger-Bone Body-Strengthening Soup. 10
• Qin Wuhe supplied Lu Chen with Blood-Qi Powder after his breakthrough, allowing him to stabilize and strengthen his newly awakened qi and blood. 18
• The annual spring Gathering of Heroes was jointly led by Scarlet Cloud County's five major martial halls. It promoted outstanding younger disciples, attracted enrollment, and helped secure sponsorship from merchants, escort agencies, herb shops, and clans. 49
• The Huang Family's proposed monthly medicinal support became central to Qin Wuhe's revival strategy and gave the family leverage over the hall's handling of disciple appointments. 50 51 52

Relationships

• Huang Family — Financial partner that offered monthly medicinal ingredients for inner-court disciples; its proposed terms would have concentrated the hall's disciples' future appointments under the family. Shi Hao's employment and engagement to the family's young lady strengthened this connection. The family's pressure contributed to Lu Chen's expulsion, after which it spread a damaging account of his conduct. 50 51 16 52
• Wang's Ginseng Shop / Wang Firm — Employed Lu Chen after his breakthrough; Lu Chen's refusal to abandon Wang Firm for the Huang Family contributed to his expulsion. Wang Firm continued supporting him afterward, and his eventual Martial Examination championship drew unfavorable comparisons with the hall's treatment of him. 16 52 93
• Mighty Far Hall — Rival martial hall. Its disciple Liu Xiaolou publicly challenged Lu Chen outside Hidden Dragon Martial Hall, attempting to shame the hall and reclaim his Yam Herb Shop appointment. Lu Chen defeated him, restoring the hall's pride. Its later examination candidate Li Huchen killed Shi Hao, while Hall Master Zhao Xuanfeng mocked Qin Wuhe. After Lu Chen killed Li Huchen and won the championship, Mighty Far Hall publicly claimed the former Hidden Dragon disciple as its own hidden true inheritor. 18 19 20 87 93 94
• Thousand Crane Martial Hall — Rival among Scarlet Cloud County's major martial halls; Shi Hao defeated one of its top younger fighters at the Gathering of Heroes. Its true disciple Fang Henian was regarded as a formidable rival to Shi Hao in the Martial Examination. 49 50 80 82
• Han Family — Early supporter of Shi Hao, providing fine meat and silver after recognizing his potential with Qin Wuhe's approval. 6
• Rock-Solid Martial Hall and Thunderbolt Martial Hall — Fellow members of Scarlet Cloud County's five major martial halls and joint organizers of the annual Gathering of Heroes. 49

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